‘Nobel Prize in Chemistry’ Leading Candidate Taek-Hwan Hyun, Develops the Smallest Semiconductor in’The Size of 26 Atoms’

Enter 2021.01.19 01:00

Less than 1 nanometer in size… One fifth of Samsung’s quantum dots
“In the study of application as light emitting particles for display”

The Institute of Basic Sciences (IBS) announced on the 19th that the research team of the research team of the Nanoparticle Research Center (Seoul National University Chair Professor) Hyun Taek-hwan has developed the world’s smallest semiconductor consisting of 26 atoms. President Hyun was on the list of leading Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry last year selected by the academic information service analysis company’Claribate Analytics’.

The research team succeeded in creating a’semiconductor cluster’ with the total size of manganese, cadmium, zinc and selenium reactors less than 1 nanometer (nm·1 billionth of a meter). A cluster is a large particle that regularly assembles several particles. Until now, clusters were easily decomposed when exposed to room temperature environment and air, but the research team improved stability so that they could function without decomposition for more than a year.

The research team is conducting follow-up research to apply it as light emitting particles for displays. Luminescent particles are particles that receive electricity and emit light, and are used to make up pixels in a display. The smaller the luminous particles, the more detailed screen can be realized.

“The current quantum dot, which is the light emitting particle of Samsung’s quantum dot light emitting diode (QLED), is about 5 nanometers in size, but the semiconductor cluster developed this time is smaller than 1 nanometer and is expected to improve display performance.” said.

Through experiments, the research team also confirmed that this material can be used as a high-performance catalyst that converts carbon dioxide into’propylene carbonate’, a raw material for cosmetics and plastics.

The research results were published in the international academic journal’Nature Materials’ on this day.